


Rescue

by SupernaturallyObsessed



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Emotionally Hurt Dean, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Dean, M/M, Post Episode: s11e01 Out of the Darkness Into the Fire, Sam Ships It, Very Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-19 08:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8198744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SupernaturallyObsessed/pseuds/SupernaturallyObsessed
Summary: Instead of Castiel being found by Hannah in 11x02 Sam and Dean come to save him. They take him back to the bunker to patch him up, but Dean doesn't trust himself around Castiel. He blames himself for what he did under the influence of the Mark of Cain and tries to keep away from the angel. Castiel, however, isn't having any of it.





	

Dean pushed the heavy steel door open as quietly as he could. When he saw the figure in the center of the room he gasped sharply and had to fight his urge to scream.

“Cas?” he called, his voice faltering. He took a quick look around to make sure the room was otherwise empty before sprinting over to the figure that he knew, despite the distance between them, was Castiel. Sam followed after but a little more slowly. He was armed and ready in case anyone was hiding and waiting to attack.

The scene only got worse as Dean got closer. Cas was handcuffed and hanging from a giant metal hook that was coming down from the ceiling. His trench coat and tie were on the floor and his white button down was torn up and turning red with blood. 

“Cas?” Dean asked again, more quietly this time. He was trying his best to mask the fear in his voice. “Oh, God, please tell me you aren’t dead, man.” Castiel groaned softly and opened his eyes as much as he could. He hoped it was enough. “Cas!” The hope in Dean’s voice was evident. “Sam! Help me get him down.” He touched Cas’ arm tentatively, hoping to provide some small level of comfort, even though he knew deep down that he didn’t deserve that privilege. Not right now. “It’s going to be okay, Cas. We’re gonna get you out of here.” Cas tried to say something back but only managed another small groan. 

“Alright, Dean, you hold him up and I’ll unhook the cuffs,” Sam said, walking over and putting his gun away. “I’m really sorry, Cas, but this is probably going to hurt,” Sam warned before pulling on the chain between each handcuff, stretching Castiel’s sore arms out even more, and then slipping it off the hook. Cas whimpered loudly as he collapsed against Dean. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay, Cas,” Dean said while holding his friend up and doing his best to not add to the pain. He found himself starting to think about what had happened the last time he had seen the angel, what he had done, but he pushed the thoughts away. Self-loathing wasn’t going to help the situation any. “Do you think you can walk?”

“Not sure,” Cas managed to say with a trembling voice.

“Let me get these cuffs off first.” Dean shifted so that he was better supporting Cas and searched his pocket for a bobby pin, knowing he always carried a few for just such an occasion. It wasn’t the best tool for the job but it would work. He found one and in about a minute the handcuffs were on the ground.

“Thank you.” Dean didn’t say anything in response. Castiel was clearly out of it. Once he was more focused Dean knew the angel wouldn’t be thanking him. Dean slipped under one of Cas’ arms so that he was supporting a good portion of Cas’ body weight. 

“Let’s try walking. Nice and slow. Okay?” When Cas nodded Dean started moving. They managed to make it a few feet before Cas’ legs gave out. Dean almost lost his balance as well but managed to stay in control and catch the angel before he hit the ground. 

“I can’t, Dean,” Cas choked out. It was clear that he was pained and exhausted. Dean hated seeing him like this. “I’m sorry.”

“Do not think for one second that any of this is your fault,” Dean said, his voice firm but not angry. “Sam?” Dean didn’t even need to elaborate. Sam knew exactly what he was asking for. He grabbed Cas’ coat and tie from the floor, unable to part with the now trademark articles of clothing, and then slipped under the angel’s other arm. Cas groaned in protest but didn’t say anything as the boys started walking him out the door. Even with both of them holding Cas up he still struggled to walk and after another few feet Sam and Dean were more or less dragging him along the floor. 

“Dean, this isn’t going to work,” Sam said. “I think we need to just carry him.” Dean tensed slightly at the suggestion but then nodded.

“Okay. I…I’ll do it.” He knew he shouldn’t, that he didn’t deserve it, but he couldn’t watch Sam take care of him.

“You sure? We’re both pretty wiped.”

“Yeah. I’ve got him.” Sam stepped away a little and Dean lifted Cas into his arms. The angel curled in closer, his head on Dean’s shoulder. Dean knew that when Cas was more conscious he wouldn’t want anything to do with him which was why Dean was indulging himself so much now. 

Without Castiel slowing them down the brothers were able to cross the rest of the space quickly. No one appeared to give them any trouble so whomever had captured Cas clearly didn’t think it was possible for him to escape. When they got back to the Impala Sam opened the door and Dean laid Cas down in the backseat, trying to jostle him as little as possible. Castiel groaned and Dean made soothing sounds in hopes of keeping him calm.

“Shh,” he whispered. “You’re gonna be okay, Cas. We’re taking you home.” He closed the door and then walked around to get into the driver’s seat. It was about an hour and a half’s drive back to the bunker. Cas seemed to phase in and out of consciousness the whole trip.

“He’s going to be okay,” Sam said when he caught his brother looking at the angel through the rearview mirror for what had to be the twentieth time in as many minutes.

“He shouldn’t be passing out though,” Dean said, trying to hide some of the fear from his voice. “That’s not normal for him. Not with his grace back.”

“I’m sure even angels need rest after so much physical trauma. We can handle this, Dean. Whatever it is.”

“Okay.” Dean saw his brother’s point, but that didn’t make him any less worried. “We’ll figure it out.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and pushed Baby to go just a little bit faster.

.........................................

When they pulled into the bunker’s garage Dean let out the breath that he had been holding for the last fifteen or twenty miles. He looked in the backseat and saw that Cas’ eyes were open but looked unfocused.

“Do you want to take him and I’ll open the doors?” Sam could tell that Dean wanted to take care of Castiel and make sure he was okay.

“Yeah. Yeah, thanks.” They got out of the car and Sam headed inside while Dean opened the back door and crouched down in front of Cas’ head. “Hey, man,” he said, embarrassed by how much his voice shook. Knowing that Sam couldn’t see them he ran a hand through Cas’ dark hair.

“Dean?” The angel’s eyes were bloodshot and unfocused.

“Yeah, it’s me. How are you feeling?”

“Very weak.”

“I can imagine. You must have taken a real beating back there.”

“Where are we?”

“Back at the bunker. You’re safe now.”

“I believe that I require more rest,” Castiel said rather matter of factly. If the situation were a lighter one Dean would have laughed. 

“Yes, Cas, you do. I’m going to take you to your room. It’s probably best if I just carry you again. Is that okay?”

“That is fine, Dean.” Picking Cas up from the position he had been in was difficult, but Dean managed to do it without causing too much pain. “Before, Rowena, she…” Cas started to say as they were moving.

“Shh,” Dean cut him off. “It’s okay. Whatever it is we’ll work it out. Just focus on resting right now.” He was almost at Cas’ room when the angel grabbed his collar and made him stop abruptly in the hallway. “What is it?” 

“She put a curse on me.” Everything was suddenly coming back to him and he needed to warn Dean. “I don’t know if I’m safe to be around. I could hurt you and Sam.” Although he tried to hide it, Dean couldn’t stop the look of fear that flashed across his face, and Cas noticed. His eyes were downcast as he began to push weakly against Dean’s chest.

“What are you doing?” Dean asked, his voice full of concern.

“You’re going to send me away again. It’s alright, I understand. Just put me down and I’ll get out of your way.”

“What?” Dean was shocked. “Cas, no. We can figure this out.” He hated this. Hated that his own actions had caused Cas to think that he was unwanted. He attempted to hold Cas tighter but felt a pang of guilt when the angel winced. “Let me get you to bed. Then Sam will patch you up. You and I…we can talk later.” He knew he wasn’t strong or deserving enough to take such tender care of Cas right then so he would leave that job for his brother. Dean was quiet the rest of the way to Cas’ room. Sam was already there when they walked in, ready and waiting with a first-aid kit and bowl of hot water. “Alright, buddy. Last big move for a while.” He slowly put the angel down, glad they had brought in a nice mattress to make things at least a little more comfortable. “You got this, Sammy?”

“Uh, yeah,” Sam said, surprised that his brother wasn’t going to help. 

“Dean, please,” Cas nearly begged, looking up into the green eyes of the hunter.

“I’m going to do some research. I’ll check in later.” He gave Sam a nod before turning and walking away. Closing the door on the way out.

“What was that about?” Sam asked as he started to unbutton Castiel’s shirt.

“I believe that your brother is punishing himself for previous actions that were not truly his fault.” Sam pulled off the tattered and bloodied remains of Castiel’s shirt and tossed it on the floor.

“That’s typical for Dean. He’s been tough on himself as long as I can remember. Dad put a lot of pressure on him to take care of me and stuff like that.” He picked up a rag and started wiping off the blood on Cas’ chest to get a better view of the injuries.

“Shouldn’t the other person involved in the situation have a say in the matter though?” He groaned when Sam moved over a particularly deep cut. 

“Sorry,” Sam said, trying to rub a little more softly. “I’m sure you’ve seen by now how hard it is to get through to him when his mind is set on something.”

“Have any tips?” Cas asked after a few minutes of silence, earning a chuckle from the hunter. 

“You’d think after all these years I’d have a guaranteed answer for you but I don’t. You have to be persistent though. In your case, find a way to prove to him that you still care and that you aren’t angry about whatever happened.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, man.” He wasn’t blind. He could see how his brother and the angel looked at each other. Sam figured Dean wouldn’t want to talk about it though so he didn’t push. “Should I stitch up some of these deeper cuts or will your grace kick in?”

“I believe my grace will be able to heal the injuries. It is just working more slowly right now because they were inflicted with an angel blade.”

“Okay,” Sam said, trying to not let any of his emotions show through. “I’ll just wrap everything up then.” After another twenty minutes all of Cas’ cuts were bandaged, the rest of his smaller cuts had been cleaned, and Sam had helped him into a pair of sweatpants and one of Dean’s old t-shirts.

“Thank you, Sam. For everything.” He sounded tired.

“No problem. You’re part of the family. Have been for a while now. Sorry we didn’t find you sooner.” Cas shook his head.

“You couldn’t have known.” It was clear that Castiel was struggling to keep his eyes open.

“Alright,” Sam said, cleaning up the supplies. “You should get some rest. Dean and I will be here if you need anything.”

.........................................

Castiel slept for the rest of the day, and Sam went in to check on him every hour or so. On his way to bed that night he stopped by the room again and was surprised to find Dean at Cas’ side with a stack of books on the floor next to him.

“I wondered where you disappeared to,” Sam said quietly from the doorway, a small smile dancing on his lips. 

“Shut up,” Dean said, not even looking up.

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“Maybe not, but I know what you’re thinking.”

“I’m just happy to see you here. Cas clearly feels better with you around.” Dean was silent for a minute, unsure what to say. He still didn’t feel comfortable telling his little brother about his feelings for the angel.

“Just go to bed, bitch.” Sam smiled. He knew how much sentiment was packed into that one word, even though it sounded like an insult.

“Goodnight, jerk.”

.........................................

“Dean?” Castiel asked. His voice was stronger than it had been but he still sounded worn out. Dean had been dozing off but he jolted awake when he heard Cas’ voice.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Better, I guess.”

“Good. Is your grace working?”

“Slowly, but yes.” He pushed himself up so he was leaning against the headboard. “I’m surprised to see you here.” Dean tensed. He had known this was coming.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He quickly started to pick up his books. “I know you don’t want to see me. I’ll get out of your room. Sorry.”

“Dean, stop,” Cas pleaded. The hunter was almost at the door when he froze and turned back to look at his friend. The hurt look on the angel’s face made his breath catch. “Why…why would you ever think that I don’t want you here?” 

“Because of what I did,” Dean said softly, tilting his head to stare at the floor.

“You mean when you fought me because of the Mark?”

“I could’ve killed you, Cas. Hell, I almost did.” He looked back up at the angel. “I was about to kill you. I really was. When I picked up your blade I was planning to use it.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I don’t know why though. I’ve been asking myself that since I left the room that day. I have absolutely no idea what made me stop because in that moment I didn’t have any thoughts about how much I cared about you. All I wanted to do was end you.” The books fell out of his arm with a thud but he didn’t care.

“Dean, come here.” The hunter shook his head. He didn’t deserve Cas’ patience. All he deserved was Cas’ anger and any pain the angel wanted to inflict on him in retaliation. “Dean.” The word was said with such power that the hunter found himself unable to ignore the command. When Dean was standing beside him Castiel continued. “I am not angry with you, Dean. It would take so much more than that to destroy my feelings for you, romantic or otherwise.” 

“But…”

“No buts. Sit.” When Dean followed Castiel wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, tucking the human’s head under his chin. When the hunter started to struggle Cas simply used his angelic strength to hold him steady. His grace was weakened but he was still strong enough for this. “Stop fighting, Dean,” he said after a minute.

“Not until you let me go.”

“The longer you struggle the longer I’m going to hold you like this,” Castiel said evenly.

“Why?” Dean demanded.

“Because you need to understand that you are still a good person, Dean. I do not blame you for what happened and this is the only way I know to prove it to you.” It took another minute but finally Dean stopped trying to get away, although he remained tense. “It’s alright, Dean. I know you might not believe that yet but it is. I’m still here and you deserve my forgiveness.”

“I don’t know, Cas,” Dean mumbled into the angel’s shoulder, forcing himself to hold back his tears. 

“That’s okay. I’ve got plenty of time to prove it to you,” he said softly. When the hunter nodded Cas patted his back and pulled away a little. “Why don’t you go change and put those books away and then come here so we can get some sleep?” The request caught Dean off guard but he decided not to fight it. If he was being honest with himself he didn’t want to argue. He wanted to be with Cas.

“Okay. Just give me a few minutes.”

.........................................

Early the next morning Sam peeked his head in Castiel’s room on his way to the kitchen to whip up some breakfast. What he found was his brother asleep on his back and holding hands with their angel who was on his side next to him. A wide smile spread across Sam’s face as he quietly closed the door and padded to the kitchen. 

“Took them long enough,” he muttered to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> When I'm watching the show I frequently feel like I just want to go into the TV and give the characters a hug. Since that's not possible I decided to write a fic where things actually go right for once. Especially for Cas. He's gotten beaten up a lot recently.
> 
> Let me know what you thought!


End file.
